Starting the gym for the first time can feel awkward as hell.
A lot of people walk in thinking everyone’s looking at them, everyone else knows what they’re doing and they’re the only one who looks out of place.
Most people are too wrapped up in their own session to care. The ones who look completely comfortable now were new once as well.
Beginners usually make life harder by trying to do too much. They train five days, copy a pile of random exercises and leave every session barely able to move.
Start simpler than that.
Three Sessions a Week Is Plenty
If you’re new to the gym, you don’t need some complicated split you found online from a lad whose whole life seems to revolve around training.
For most beginners, three full-body sessions a week is plenty. Two can still work if that fits your week better.
The gym has to fit around work, family, poor sleep and everything else going on. A plan that only works during a perfect week won’t last very long.
Learn a Handful of Exercises
Trying every machine in the building will only leave you more confused.
Start with a small group of exercises that cover the main areas of the body. That could include:
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A chest press
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A row or pulldown
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A leg press or squat variation
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A leg curl
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A shoulder exercise
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A couple of smaller exercises for your arms or core
Machines are completely fine. So are dumbbells, cables and barbells when they suit the exercise and you can use them properly.
A barbell squat or deadlift isn’t compulsory just because somebody online said every proper programme needs them.
Learn the setup, use a range you can control and get comfortable repeating the same exercises.
Get the Movement Right Before Chasing Weight
Don’t rush to add weight while you’re still learning the exercise.
If the range gets shorter, the rep turns into a swing or another body part takes over, the load is too heavy. Keep it under control and make sure the exercise still looks like the one you started with. There’s more on this in Are You Lifting Weights Too Fast?.
Don’t Try to Wreck Yourself
A lot of beginners train like they’re trying to make up for years of doing nothing.
They stay too long, do too many sets and spend the next four days walking downstairs sideways.
A hard session can still leave you able to return in a day or two and train properly again.
Taking every set to complete failure isn’t necessary either. Leave a little in the tank while you’re getting used to the movements.
Soreness can happen when you start. It isn’t a score for how good the workout was.
The useful session is the one you can recover from and repeat.
Write Down What You Do
Keep a simple record of your working sets.
Write down the exercise, weight and reps. When you come back to it, you’ll know what you did last time instead of picking another random number.
For example:
Chest press: 30kg × 10, 10, 9
Leg press: 80kg × 12, 12, 11
Pulldown: 35kg × 10, 10, 10
That gives you something clear to improve. You might get another rep, clean up the movement or add a small amount of weight once you reach the top of the rep range.
Without a record, it’s easy to spend months doing roughly the same thing and assuming you’re progressing.
Stop Watching Everyone Else
Comparing yourself to everyone in the gym will waste your head before you’ve really started.
The person beside you might have been training for ten years. They could have more time, fewer injuries and a completely different goal.
Their session has nothing to do with yours.
Learn your own exercises, follow your own plan and try to improve your own numbers.
Basic Gym Etiquette
A few simple things will make the place easier for everyone:
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Put weights and equipment back when you’re finished
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Wipe down a bench if you’ve left it covered in sweat
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Don’t sit on a machine scrolling for ten minutes between sets
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Give people enough room while they’re lifting
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Ask how many sets someone has left instead of hovering around them looking annoyed
You’ll pick up the rest as you go.
Ask When You’re Unsure
A lot of people stay confused for weeks because they’re embarrassed to ask a basic question.
If you’re not sure how to adjust a machine, where something is or whether you’re using it properly, ask a member of staff.
There’s no prize for standing there pretending you know what you’re at while making a balls of it.
Use the first month to get comfortable, learn a handful of exercises and build a routine you can repeat.
Three simple sessions and a record of what you lifted will give you plenty to work with. Keep going until the gym feels normal rather than like somewhere you’ve wandered into by mistake.
